


Pieces of You

by ALilyPea (alilypea)



Series: Tarlos Valentine 2021 [3]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:35:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29450901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alilypea/pseuds/ALilyPea
Summary: TK's love language is acts of service, and Carlos falls more in love with him every day.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Tarlos Valentine 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2157984
Comments: 17
Kudos: 189





	Pieces of You

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Tarlos-Valentine](https://tmblr.co/mRRQFQlu9i9Qb0eIPhWyJ6A) on Tumblr.
> 
> Prompt: “I told you this ages ago” + Love Languages + Favourite Kiss

The two of them didn’t necessarily make sense on paper, or even out loud sometimes. They were good together, and there were some similarities between them, but they were also as different as they could be.

Carlos lived his life in as much order as he could manage. Scheduled and precise, neat and tidy. 

TK tended to live in a world of organized chaos, and still getting used to Austin, he was often trying to convince Carlos to go on spur of the moment day trips or overnights last minute.

Carlos hated last minutes. But he just so happened to love TK. So he went along with it. They had been pushed together by the pandemic, and while there had been rough moments when they were quarantined together, they also learned more about what they could love about each other.

Carlos had always thought that TK lived life loudly and messily. He had soon realized how wrong he was about that.

It was all a facade. 

He remembered reading about love languages once, in a book he couldn’t remember the title of it, but some parts of it had stuck with him.

TK was all about acts of service. 

He had been shocked the first time he’d come home from his shift to find that not only had the sheets been washed, but the bed had been made to his specifications. Also, all of their laundry had been washed and put neatly away. The few times he’d slept at the Strands, there had been clothes all over the bedroom. 

At first, he thought it had been part of TK’s relationship-related anxiety, but he soon came to realize that when TK loved someone or cared for them, he did things for them. 

TK made smoothies to the team’s taste; he always had a shoulder squeeze or a quick hug for anyone who needed it. He’d felt bad about forgetting Mateo’s cheeseballs, though he’d never admit it out loud.

When the team was over, TK was the one to clean up after them before Carlos could even begin to lift a finger. It was the same when Carlos cooked; TK was right there, scrubbing dishes right after the plates had been cleared. 

“Did you mow the lawn today?” Carlos asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned back in his chair.   
TK nodded and smiled, “I hope I did alright, I’ve never done it before. I had to call Judd to give me some tips,” he admitted, cheeks pink. 

“You’ve never mowed a lawn before?” Carlos couldn’t help the shock that tinged his words. 

“I told you this ages ago,” TK replied, standing to clear up the dishes; he stacked them and tossed the napkins on top. “We never had a lawn; how would I know how to mow one?” 

“Right, sorry,” Carlos propped his chin on his palm and watched TK move around the kitchen, enjoying the way that TK seemed to feel so at home here. It warmed his insides and made him want to speak words that, for now, were better left unsaid. He didn’t want to push or scare TK away, mostly when things were still so new. Though if asked, he wouldn’t deny that in TK he saw forever. 

“So, did I do okay?” TK asked him. “Judd said people could get “mighty particular,” he mimicked the firefighter’s accent much to Carlos’ amusement. “He seemed to think that I would be better off leaving it alone.”

“You did a better job than I would’ve,” Carlos told him as he stood up and tugged the towel from TK’s hands to wrap him in his arms. “I hope you realize you don’t have to do all this, right?” 

“I like doing things around here,” TK murmured into his shoulder, then kissed him softly on the cheek. “It makes it feel more...homey to me if I’m helping take care of it.” 

“Good, I want you to feel like you’re at home here,” Carlos kissed him softly on the lips. “If you want to mow the lawn again, I won’t complain. It’s my least favourite chore to do. But if you ever need help with anything you want to do around here, I hope you’ll let me know.”

“Thank you, ‘Los,” TK kissed him back once more. “If you want to wipe down the table, I’ll get this squared away. I thought when we get a weekend together; we could fix up the back patio. I’d like to make it something nice for the two of us to enjoy when the weather is right.”

Carlos couldn’t explain the sudden lump in his throat or stinging in his eyes, but he managed to swallow past it and smile. “Yeah,” his voice was hoarse. “That sounds amazing,” he couldn’t help but pull TK close again and hold him. 

TK hugged him back, seeming to realize that Carlos needed it at that moment.

Because while TK’s love language was acts of service, Carlos’ was physical affection, which surprised people who didn’t know him all that well. However, TK was always there to accept it, a hug, a cuddle, a hold so tight it felt like they were going to become one person. Kisses, one after the other, which were becoming his favourite.


End file.
